CONGRATULATIONS: to our Lady Footballers on their splendid win in the Co. Intermediate Championship Final at the weekend. And what can one say about Marina Barry Walsh, still winning medals and now playing alongside her daughter Caoimhe. And Marina contributed three points to our 1-14 total in that final on Saturday evening.
WELL DONE: also to the Kerry Seniors yesterday and to Kieran Donaghy, who always seems to keep his best performances for Croke Park. His 13th minute goal on Sunday was his 9th Croke Park goal in Senior Championship Football.
And he has scored some spectacular and vital goals in Croker since his very first one in that quarter final clash against Armagh in 2006 – Francie Bellew and all that. Well done Star and we all hope there will be more to come in the next six or seven weeks.
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B FOOTBALL: Austin Stacks 2-11; John Mitchels 2-8.
After one of the best games of open, attacking football that we have witnessed all season we eventually emerged victorious in this postponed round 2 game of the Town League, played in Connolly Park on last Friday evening (28th July). This game ebbed and flowed all through with the lead changing hands on six different occasions and the sides level three times.
Mitchels opened the scoring after 18 seconds but points from a Danny Carroll free and one from play by team captain, Dale Counihan gave us the lead after six minutes.
However a minute later Mitchels were back in the lead with an opportunist goal. By the 18th minute they had gone further ahead with two more points. Then it was our turn to click into gear.
With Craig Corcoran and David Fitzmaurice doing well at centre field and with our half-back line on the attack with every opportunity the first of our goals came in the 20th minute.
A perfect ball from Michael Linnane found Donagh McKivergan and Donagh’s shot cross goal was guided to the net by Pádraig Looney. Two pointed frees then followed from Donagh McKivergan and Danny Carroll to give us a one point lead again, five minutes before the break.
But Mitchels again responded with a goal and a point in the space of two minutes and the final score of the half came in the 28th minute with a brilliant solo run by Dale Counihan, putting over his second point of the game. This left Mitchels with a two points lead at half time (2-4 to 1-5).
Eleven minutes into the second half they had extended that lead to three after putting over three more points to two for us – Pádraig Looney from play and a well-taken forty five by Craig Corcoran our scorers.
Then, like the first half, our lads took complete control and in the next ten minutes went back in the lead again with four unanswered points by Conor Lowe, Ciarán Flanagan and two super efforts by Pádraig Looney to cap a fine performance (1-3 from play) by Podge.
A little bit of luck will never go a miss and we encountered that in the 54th minute when Mitchels got through on goal only for the ball to come off the butt of the post and go wide.
Then a minute later a good attacking move by Shane Walsh put Darren Bastible through for our second goal and instead of being two points down we found ourselves four points up. Mitchels did get one back before the final whistle to leave us with a three points win in the end.
So a very good team performance with eight Minors on our starting 15 and another (Tomás Sheehy) coming on as a second half substitute, making for a very good combination of youth and experience . It was also good to see David Leonard coming on at the start of the second half and he played a role in steadying the ship during those final 30 minutes.
The last time David wore the Black & Amber jersey was when he played a starring role at full back on 19th November 2011 when our Seniors defeated Dingle in the Co. League Final. Great to see you back from Down-Under David.
Team: Seamus Bastible, Shane Kelliher, Cathal O’Reilly, Shane Walsh, Andrew Morrissey, Dylan Harnett, Odhran Liston, Craig Corcoran (0-1 – forty five), Conor Lowe (0-1), Michael Linnane, Pádraig Looney (1-3), Danny Carroll (0-2 frees), Donagh McKivergan (0-1 – free), Dale Counihan (Capt) (0-2)).
Subs used: David Leonard (ht), Fergal Ryan (ht), Darren Bastible (ht) (1-0), Tomás Sheehy (40m), Ciarán Flanagan (50m) (0-1).
Our final game in the Town League, against Kerins O’Rahillys is fixed for Ballyrickard on this Monday evening (31st July) at 7.30pm and, irrespective of the result, it looks as if we have already qualified for the semi final of the competition.
SENIOR HURLING: Kilmoyley 3-13; Austin Stacks 2-7.
On a shocking Tuesday evening (25th July) in Lerrig for any sport, not to mind Hurling, both sides put up a fine performance despite the heavy rain and strong breeze that favoured Kilmoyley in the first half of this quarter final of the Co. IH Championship.
With the elements against us and with no competitive hurling for twenty day it was understandable that it would take us some time to get to the pace of the game.
We trailed at half time by 3-7 to 0-2. Our first point came from play in the 13th minute after a lovely move involving Ronan Gilsenan and Andrew Morrissey which was finished off by Michael O’Leary.
We had a very good second half, outscoring the opposition by 2-5 to 0-6. Our first point in this half was the score of the game – a ball fielded right on the side-line and over 70m out by team captain, Andrew Morrissey and from that spot Andrew floated the ball long and high between the posts.
This spurred on our boys, and three minutes later Ronan Gilsenan found Paul Daly whose high ball into square was finished to the net by Peter O’Regan – great to see Pete back again for his first game of the season.
Paul Daly was unerring from frees, putting over three more in this half . Our second goal came in the 17th minute when Ciarán Breen and Michael O’Leary combined to lob another high ball into the square and it was substitute, Kenneth O’Sullivan who got the last touch on this occasion. Rory Forbes had our last point of the game, to cap a fine performance by him.
It was good to see Colm Ó Giollagáin making his way back from injury, lining out in goals instead of his normal forward position, and it was also good to see Brian Delee making his competitive debut (he did play in a recent challenge game) and he did very well at full back. But all our 18 players who lined out on this dreadful evening put up a great show and it wasn’t for lack of effort on their part that we didn’t get over the line.
Team: Colm Ó Giollagáin, Kevin O’Leary, Brian Delee, Seán King, Johnny Downey, Eoghan McKivergan, Andrew Morrissey (Capt) (0-1), Killian O’Riordan, Robert Byrne, Michael O’Leary (0-1), Ciarán Breen, Rory Forbes (0-1), Ronan Gilsenan, Peter O’Regan (1-0), Paul Daly (0-4 frees).
Subs used: Kenneth O’Sullivan (35m) (1-0), Tadgh Meehan (55m), Ian Moynihan (57m).
MINOR FOOTBALL: We are due to play Kerins O’Rahillys in Strand Rd. on this Monday evening (31st July) at 5pm R1 of the Town League.
The remaining fixtures are as follows; R2 we have a bye; R3 at home to Dingle (14th Aug); R4 away to Na Gaeil (21st Aug); R5 at home to Laune Rangers (28th Aug). The semi final fixed for 4th September with the Final on the following Monday (11th Sept).
In between those Town League fixture the Co. League Final, between ourselves and Dr, Crokes, has been provisionally fixed for Wednesday, 23rd August.
BEST OF LUCK: to the Kerry Junior and Minor Footballers in their double-header in Portlaoise on next Saturday (5th Aug). The Juniors, who take on Meath in the All Ireland JF Final, are going for three-in-a-row titles and only one other team have done the three-in-a-row since the inception of the competition away back in 1913 and that was London in the three years 1969-1971.
The Minors (including our own Ciarán O’Reilly, Dylan Casey and Michael Slattery) play Louth in the All Irl Qr. Final.
CLUBHOUSE: As always the Clubhouse is available for all types of Parties and Functions. Enquiries about Club Bookings should be made by contacting Harry Hynes at 087 2467286.
CARDS: The 45 Card Sessions continue in the Clubhouse on every Monday and Thursday nights, commencing at 9.30pm each night.
LOTTO: Last week’s (24th July) Jackpot, worth €6,200, was not won. The numbers drawn were 17, 21, 22, 28. The €20 winners were: Michelle Conway, c/o Carmel O’Neill; Jim O’Donovan, Carmel O’Neill and Joe & Cáit Looney, all c/o The Club; and Anne Gibson, c/o Rock Street Post Office.
SYMPATHY: Sincere sympathy is offered to the families of the following who died recently – Gerald Anthony O’Callaghan, ‘Green Gables’, Clonmore Villas; and Thomas O’Connor, St. Anne’s Bungalows, Basin View and formerly Mitchel’s Crescent.
